Nordic Food Transition : Low emission opportunities in agriculture

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Project participants

Green Transition Denmark is a member-based Danish environmental NGO that

promotes the green and sustainable transition of society by sourcing and communicating knowledge on green solutions and by influencing politicians, businesses, and citizens to adopt more sustainable behaviour.

AirClim is a joint venture between four Swedish environmental organisations with

the chief purpose of promoting awareness of the problems associated with air pollution and climate change, and thus, in part as a result of public pressure, bringing about the required reduction in the emissions of air pollutants, including greenhouse gases.

The Finnish Society for Nature and Environment (FSNE) is a party-independent

environmental citizens organisation. Activities are financed by membership fees, governmental contributions, and grants from private foundations. Most members belong to the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland.

We wish to thank the Nordic Working Group for Climate and Air (NKL) under the Nordic Council of Ministers for their support in this project and vital contributions to the making of this report.

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1. Introduction

Greenhouse gas and nitrogen emissions from agriculture are a major challenge. The production of food (including primary production, land use change, processing etc.) is estimated to account for almost one third of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions of which agricultural production is responsible for more than

80% (Vermeulen, Campbell, & Ingram, 2012). Around 90% of ammonia emissions in Europe can be attributed to agriculture.

Technical solutions have been the main focus in the abatement of emissions from agriculture so far. However, in recent years more and more attention has been given to the fact that technical efforts need to be combined with changes in the

production of livestock products, along with general consumer-based dietary shifts. One common argument that arises is that these types of changes would threaten jobs and the economy in rural areas. This project aims to present arguments and examples of how a transition towards more sustainable and plant-based production and consumption may benefit farmers, food producers, and rural areas while contributing to the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and nutrients.

1.1 Project overview

This study aims to investigate the possible transition towards a climate and environment friendly food system.

First, current research and knowledge on global trends concerning food production and consumption with a focus on plant-based protein production are presented. This is then put into the context of the three project countries Denmark, Finland, and Sweden by describing differences and similarities of the agricultural sector and food consumption patterns in these countries.

Afterwards, eight different case studies are presented that elaborate on current Nordic initiatives broadly representing the spectre of new opportunities. The case studies focus on the business opportunities related to more sustainable food production while illuminating barriers in e.g. regulation that need to be addressed and overcome.

Finally, a catalogue of policy recommendations is presented based on the knowledge collected from expert interviews and workshops with key stakeholders. These policy recommendations point towards changes in regulation, fees and subsidies that would break down obstructing barriers and catalyse sustainable development towards sustainable and more plant-based agricultural production.

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1.2 Project methods

1.2.1 Food systems in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland

A list of relevant parameters for agricultural production and food consumption patterns was developed by the project participants. The data for each parameter for the project countries was procured by a project participant from each country and compiled into a dataset, where similarities and differences could be described. The complete data set is made available in Appendix A , and the most relevant

information is presented in the main report.

1.2.2 Examples of more sustainable food production in the Nordics

An extensive list of categories for sustainable food production was developed by the project participants. This list was then narrowed down to cases related to primary agricultural production, ready or near-ready technologies and cases with large existing volume potentials and thereby large potentials to reduce the environmental footprint of food production. In the end, eight specific cases were selected – four in Denmark and four in Sweden.

The Danish project participant developed the Danish case descriptions after visiting each company and conducting interviews. The Swedish project participant

developed one case description and assigned two experts to produce the other three case descriptions.

All cases are made available in full length online and presented in this report in an abbreviated version. The cases are used for campaigning for sustainable food production and as an input to the development of policy recommendations.

1.2.3 Low emission opportunities in agriculture in the Nordics

The topic of low emission opportunities in agriculture was subdivided into six

subtopics: 1) Primary production, 2) food processing, 3) research and development, 4) national policy, 5) EU policy and the common agricultural policy (CAP), and 6)

consumer guidance.

Key stakeholders from the project countries were interviewed on these topics throughout the project. These experts include representatives from farmers’ organisations, processing companies, research institutions, governmental institutions, retail, and interest organisations. In Denmark, this process was facilitated through a closed online workshop. In Finland, a series of interviews were conducted. In Sweden, a series of interviews and a closed online workshop were conducted. The participating stakeholders are anonymised in this study, and their specific inputs have been recorded for internal use and will not be made publicly available. The information has instead been compiled into general recommendations. In addition to stakeholder input, the policy recommendations are based on

observations of national developments, case studies, other project participant activities relevant to the project, etc.

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2. Food systems and

sustainability

2.1 The food system

The food system is inherently complex and increasingly globalised. It is affected by people, processes, infrastructure, institutions, activities, and socio-economic and environmental outputs associated with the production, processing, distribution, preparation, and consumption of food (HLPE, 2017). All these elements are linked and affect each other. This report mainly focuses on the production aspect but will also touch upon processing and the close link between production and consumption and the market mechanisms of supply and demand.

For a Nordic citizen, the food system is highly globalised, and products are available from every part of the world. An apple in the supermarket may have been grown locally but it may as well be from Spain or New Zealand. Highly processed foods have often travelled the world and undergone various processing steps in different countries before reaching their destination. The market is global and therefore it is necessary to always acknowledge this before attempting to influence consumer or producer behaviour at a national or even regional level.

2.2 Sustainability of food production and consumption

Food production and consumption is the source of much debate. On the one hand, the world faces the challenge of addressing the food gap that arises as the global population increases from 7 billion in 2010 towards 9.8 billion in 2050. Closing the food gap will require major increases in productivity but also slowing of the growth in food demand e.g. by reducing food loss and shifting diets from high meat consumption towards more plant-based foods (Searchinger, et al., 2019). On the other hand, food production is a major environmental burden responsible for

between 21% and 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Shukla, et al., 2019), 90% of eutrophication, and major changes in land use that e.g. lead to deforestation and biodiversity loss (Searchinger, et al., 2019). Increasing food production without addressing these environmental challenges would be detrimental.

Undernourishment is still a major problem in many areas of the world. Fortunately, the number of undernourished individuals is decreasing. The number of overweight or obese, however, is rising. A general over-consumption of livestock-products has led to this serious rise in obesity, which is associated with diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart disease (Buckwell & Nadeu, 2018). The Eat-Lancet Commission recommends reducing meat consumption in favour of consuming plant-based proteins to mitigate the problem of increasing obesity and unhealthy diets (Willett, et al., 2019).

The Stockholm Resilience Centre recently compared meat consumption in the Nordics with national dietary guidelines and the EAT-Lancet reference diet and found that the consumption of red meat is about two and nine times higher than

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the recommended amount for national and EAT-Lancet targets, respectively (Wood, et al., 2019). The Danish national dietary guidelines were updated early in 2021 and have now implemented a specific focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the diet (Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, 2021). Both Sweden and Finland also include environmental and climate considerations in their national dietary guidelines.

2.3 Animal-based food

The RISE-livestock report defines the safe operating space (SOS) for livestock in the EU as being above the threshold for dietary and cultural needs but below the threshold for environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions,

eutrophication, and biodiversity loss (Buckwell & Nadeu, 2018). It was found that even if dietary intake of animal protein was reduced to the level recommended by dietary guidelines, it was not possible to also stay within the SOS for greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, part of the conclusion was that alternative sources of protein such as plant-based and novel proteins must replace part of the protein intake to maintain a healthy diet while EU livestock numbers need to be reduced drastically, if EU Member States are to live up to their Paris agreement obligations. (Buckwell & Nadeu, 2018)

2.3.1 Livestock production and consumption

In recent decades, European agricultural production has moved towards specialisation, business enlargement, and intensification resulting in 6.3% of European farms producing 71.4% of agricultural products in 2013 - 72% of Europe’s livestock (in terms of livestock units, LSU) are concentrated on very large farms. Since the 1960s, there has been a large increase in the number of pigs and poultry and a decrease in cattle and sheep. The EU is heavily dependent on imports of high-protein feed, especially soya, which is associated with several issues such as rain forest destruction in Brazil and GMO crops in the Americas. European citizens are high meat consumers, and less than 10% of livestock products are exported. Still, the European agricultural production is one of the largest exporters of dairy and pig meat. The EU is one of the three largest meat producers in the world (after China and next to the USA). In 2017, the EU produced 47 million tonnes of meat (14% of global production) made up of 50% pig meat, 31% poultry, 17% bovine, and 2% sheep and goat. The EU is a high-cost producer and exports are based on credentials for high-quality products and high standards of public health, traceability,

environmental and animal welfare regulation (Buckwell & Nadeu, 2018).

Livestock, meat, and animal products account for 43% of the value of the EU28’s agricultural output, about 2% of European GVA, and 4.6% of the EU workforce. Significant value and employment can subsequently be found in the up- and downstream areas of the food chain such as input suppliers, processing industries, and the food service sector (Buckwell & Nadeu, 2018).

2.3.2 Impacts from livestock production

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for human nutrition for centuries. Ruminant livestock can utilise plant material that is inedible for humans. This opens the opportunity for humans to utilise land areas that are not available for crop production due to either the slope, altitude, unsuitable soils, or climate, and thereby this land area contributes to human nutritional needs. This is a positive impact provided by livestock production. So is the role that pasture plays in crop rotation, the utilisation of manure in crop production, and the cultural value that grazing livestock plays in maintaining open pasture - which would otherwise turn into scrub and woodland, which is much less accessible for human activities and would result in the loss of cultural heritage areas and biodiversity. However, when cropland is used to produce animal feed instead of food, or valuable forest areas are cleared to make room for feed production, impacts turn to the negative affecting both human health and the health of the environment.

Furthermore, over-grazing will quickly lead to the degradation of biodiversity, soil, and landscape (Buckwell & Nadeu, 2018).

Ruminant livestock such as cattle and sheep occupies three quarters of global agricultural land but only accounts for a small amount of calorie and protein intake (in the US, ruminants provide 3% of calories and 12% of proteins). At the same time, ruminant livestock is responsible for about half of global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (Searchinger, et al., 2019). In the EU, agriculture accounts for around 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions, where livestock contributes 60% and indirect emissions from feed production another 25%. The vast majority of emissions comes from beef and dairy production.

Another negative impact of agriculture comes from unbalanced nutrient flows associated with concentrated, and large-scale livestock production. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural activities lead to air and water pollution and eutrophication. Finally, there are concerns regarding anti-microbial resistance in livestock and animal welfare (Buckwell & Nadeu, 2018).

The authors of the RISE-livestock report suggest numerous technological

improvements to the sustainability of European agriculture but ultimately conclude that although these improvements are necessary, they will not be sufficient to move European agricultural production within a safe operating space for climate change and nutrient flows. Technological improvements include reducing fertiliser input, reducing enteric fermentation, better manure storage, and changes in the density and concentration of livestock production. There are also possibilities in alternative feed sources such as insects and starfish. However, these production side activities are not enough to reduce greenhouse gas and nutrient emissions in the EU to an acceptable level, which means consumption side adjustments must also be achieved. A possible change in consumption is changing the balance away from ruminant meat such as beef, sheep, and goat towards non-ruminant meat such as poultry, pork, and fish. Another possibility is to replace livestock animal protein with novel animal protein from lab grown meat or insects. Lab grown meat is not a mature technology and the products are still very expensive, but it shows high potential. Insect

production is also early in development and must still prove its scalability and be socially accepted as food.

The last option is to generally reduce the consumption of animal protein and substitute the calories, proteins, and other nutrients with plant substitutes such as legumes, grains, algae, and vegetables.

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2.4 Plant-based food

Plant-based food is a broad category of products, but it generally involves agricultural products that are not associated with livestock. This excludes meat, dairy, eggs, etc. Sometimes, the term is used to refer to protein rich crops that are seen as substitutes for animal protein such as legumes (beans, peas, lentils), but it also covers vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, oils, algae, and so on.

Besides raw or semi-processed products it is becoming increasingly common to see highly processed plant-based alternatives to and substitutes for animal-based products such as meat, cheese, and milk based on peas, beans, almonds, oats, wheat, etc.

2.4.1 Plant-based production and consumption

A surprisingly small share of agricultural land is used for producing food directly for humans. Earlier in this chapter, it was described how ruminant livestock occupies three quarters of global agricultural land. In addition, agricultural land is also used for non-ruminant livestock production such as pork and poultry (and their feed). Many of the agricultural crops that are grown for human consumption can and often are also used for animal fodder or energy crops, so it is difficult to find a

representative number on how much is grown for human food – especially average regional numbers. In Denmark, approximately 80% of agricultural land is used to grow feed for livestock, just 10% is used to grow crops for human consumption; the remaining 10% is used for energy crops, Christmas trees, grass seeds, industrial potatoes, flowers, or fallow land.

Consumption patterns vary greatly across the globe. However, using the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet as a general goal, there needs to be a global doubling in the intake of healthy, plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. This is also true at a regional level, however there are differences in which food groups within the plant-based category should be increased more. The major interregional differences mainly cover much too high levels of red meat consumption in high-income countries and general under-nourishment in low-income countries (Willett, et al., 2019).

In the Nordics, the population should on average increase their daily intake of fruits and vegetables by 50% (100 grams) to reach the EAT-lancet target of 300 grams per day, and a 10-fold increase in the consumption of legumes and nuts is necessary to reach the target of 125 grams per day (Wood, et al., 2019).

Several studies predict large increases in plant-based food production and consumption in high-income countries driven by the emerging market for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy.

In 2020, 2.1 billion USD was invested in companies producing plant-based

alternatives to meat, eggs, and dairy, which is equivalent to the amount invested in the ten years leading up to 2020 (2.3 billion USD from 2010-2019). This is a massive increase in investments, which signals that this is a market that is increasing dramatically. In addition to investments in plant-based companies, 590 million USD was invested in fermentation and 360 million USD in cultivated meat (The Good Food Institute, 2021).

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According to the Good Food Institute, the countries that are taking the lead on plant-based development are the US, Great Britain, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Israel (The Good Food Institute, 2020).

The Boston Consulting Group estimates that the revenues for alternatives to animal proteins will reach 290 billion USD in 2035. They predict that alternatives will by then have reached full parity in taste, texture, and price with conventional animal proteins and will make up 11% of the combined plant and animal-protein market – 22% with a push from regulators and step changes in technology (Boston Consulting Group, 2021).

Finally, the American think tank RethinkX predicts that a major share of livestock production will disappear in the next 10-15 years, because alternative proteins from plants and laboratories will become cheaper and therefore the preferred choice in the ingredients’ industry. These alternative proteins will also be superior in every key attribute such as nutritious value, taste, and convenience. As an example, the whole of the cow milk industry will start to collapse once alternative proteins can

substitute the protein in a bottle of milk, which is only 3.3% of its content. Steadily, product after product that is currently extracted from the cow will be replaced with alternatives, which triggers a spiral of increasing prices and decreasing demand, which will result in the industrial cattle farming industry collapsing long before there is a plant-based or cultured alternative to the steak (RethinkX, 2019).

RethinkX presents the most radical prediction of the development and growth in plant-based food. The truth probably lies somewhere between the presented views. The conclusion is, however, clear. The coming years will show a rapid increase in the plant-based production and consumption.

2.4.2 Impacts from plant-based production

Many studies show that the production of plant-based crops for human

consumption has a lower environmental footprint than livestock production when considering aspects such as greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water use. Especially beef and other ruminant meat has a significantly larger environmental footprint than other agricultural products. Replacing ruminant meat with more plant-based foods will reduce the environmental footprint of your diet dramatically, but just shifting towards non-ruminant products such as poultry, pork, or fish makes a large difference.

For a typical western diet, the greenhouse gas emission in kgCO2-equivalents per day is 7.19 for high meat-eaters (more than 100 g per day), 3.91 for fish-eaters, 3.81 for vegetarians and 2.89 for vegans (Scarborough, et al., 2014). Conversely, a meat-intensive diet emits almost two and a half times the amount of greenhouse gases of a vegan diet (see Figure 1).

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Greenhouse gas emission in kg CO2-e

High meat-eaters (>100 g per day)

Fish-eaters Vegetarians Vegans

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Figure 1 Greenhouse gas emissions from various typical western diets

According to the World Resources Institute, if global consumers shifted 30% of their expected ruminant meat consumption in 2050 to plant-based proteins and thereby limited the ruminant meat consumption to 52 calories per person per day in all regions of the world, this could reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 5 gigaton CO2 per year and contribute significantly to reaching 2050 emissions reduction targets (taking into account population growth and global increase in wealth and thereby meat consumption). It would also make it possible to keep the global agricultural land area at the 2010 level, instead of clearing additional forests and savannahs for agricultural production (Searchinger, et al., 2019).

Adopting energy-balanced, low-meat dietary patterns in line with available evidence on healthy eating leads to significant reductions in premature mortality (19% for a flexitarian diet and 22% for a vegan diet) and globally affects a range of

environmental factors positively, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 54–87%, nitrogen and phosphorus application by 18–25%, cropland use by 8–11%, and freshwater use by 2–11%. This positive effect is found in high, medium, and low-income countries alike, except for cropland use, freshwater use, and phosphorus application in low-income countries that increase due to a diversification in diet (Springmann, et al., 2018).

There is overwhelming evidence that a transition in high-income countries from a meat-intensive to a more plant-based diet will be beneficial to both public health and the environment. However, there are regional variations and differences in production, consumption, demography, culture, etc. In the next chapter, the focus will turn to the food systems of the project countries Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.

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3. Food systems in Denmark,

Sweden and Finland

To properly understand the opportunities to make food production and consumption more sustainable in the three Nordic project countries Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, one needs to understand what the starting point is.

The Nordics are similar in many respects - culturally, socio-economically,

geographically. Experience gained in the individual countries can therefore often inspire and benefit the other countries. At the same time, one must keep in mind how these countries differ in certain ways and what challenges each country faces. A detailed overview of the current agricultural production system and consumption patterns based on statistical databases is available in Appendix A . Only an extract of the main points is presented here. Data sources are listed in the Appendix.

3.1 Demography and agricultural structure and land use

Key numbers for population and land cover are shown in Table 1. Denmark is much smaller than Sweden and Finland – only about one tenth the size of Sweden. 5.8 million people live in Denmark, 5.5 million in Finland, and 10 million in Sweden. Denmark uses 60% of its area for farmland, which makes it one of the most intensively farmed countries in the world. Finland and Sweden are dominated by forests taking up 86% and 69% of the land area, respectively, and agriculture occupies just 7–8%. These numbers cover large interregional differences in Sweden and Finland, where agricultural crop production is centred in the southern regions, because the climate becomes increasingly unfavourable for crop production as one moves towards the northernmost regions. Further to the north, the agricultural land is instead dominated by pastures.

Table 1 Population and land cover of Denmark, Finland, and Sweden in 2019

Denmark Finland Sweden

Population [mio] 5.8 5.5 10

Population density [people per km2] 138 18.1 25.0

Land area [km2] 42,900 338,000 407,000

Agriculture 60% 7% 8%

Forest 13% 86% 69%

Natural (mountains, moors, permanent

grasslands etc.) 9% 20%

Artificial (urban, roads, infrastructure

etc.) 14% 3%

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3.2 Agricultural production

The production of agricultural goods is similar in the three countries, except that Denmark has a much larger production of pigs. The production of feed for livestock dominates crop production in all three countries (70–80%), and only 10–20% of the agricultural area is utilised for producing food directly for human consumption. Nevertheless, all three countries import feed as well. Sweden and Finland import around 0.75 million tonnes of feed each year. Denmark imported 5.3 million tonnes of feed in 2019, which constitutes around 16% of the total feed consumption.

The production of protein-rich crops such as legumes for human consumption is very low in all three countries but is gaining interest. The most grown crops are faba beans and peas, but these crops are also used for feed, so only a part of the harvest is used for human consumption. In 2017, Sweden grew legumes on 2.2% of the agricultural area dominated by faba beans and yellow (dry) peas grown on 30,000 and 15,000 hectares, respectively. In 2018, Denmark produced beans on 15,000 hectares and peas on approximately 10,000 hectares. Increasing demand has led to growing interest in the production of legumes. In Sweden, the production of beans is expanding in both area and variety, and farmers in Denmark are testing new crops such as lentils, quinoa, and amaranth.

3.3 Economy and employment in agriculture

Employment in agriculture is slowly decreasing and has been so for a long time. In 2018, agriculture employed 2.1%, 2.5% and 1.2% of the total workforce in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, respectively (European Commission, 2019).

The share of the gross domestic product attributed to agriculture has also been gradually decreasing for a long time, and in 2019 it was 1.1% in Denmark, 0.5% in Finland, and 0.4% in Sweden (Eurostat, 2020a; Eurostat, 2020b).

And the agricultural sector is ageing. Between 2005 and 2016 the number of young farmers under 35 years has decreased (in Sweden only slightly) in all countries. At the same time, the number of farmers aged 65 or older has increased (Eurostat, 2020c).

Denmark exports a large number of agri-food products that have constituted 20% of the total value of exported goods since 2000. For Sweden, this figure has

increased from 2.6% in 2000 to 6.4% in 2018. Finnish agri-food products contributed about 8% to total exports in 2018. In 2018, agri-food export was worth 18 billion €, 5 billion € and 8 billion € in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, respectively (Statistics Denmark, 2020; SCB, 2020; Natural Resources Institute Finland, 2020).

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3.4 Food consumption

In relation to proteins, the Nordic dietary guidelines recommend decreasing the intake of processed and red meats while increasing the intake of plant-based sources of protein such as pulses, nuts, and seeds. This relates to the fact that the consumption of red meat in the Nordics is much higher than the dietary guidelines’ maximum recommended value, while the intake of legumes and nuts is very low. Although the meat intake in all three countries is still either increasing or stable, changes are occurring when it comes to the consumption of plant-based proteins. There is an emerging trend in all three countries that especially the younger

generations are turning towards a more flexitarian diet. The consumption of plant-based protein starts from a very low volume, but with significant yearly percentual increases, there seems to be a strong trend.

3.5 Environmental sustainability

Since 1990, Denmark, Finland and Sweden have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, 22% and 26%, respectively. In that same period, the agricultural sector has only reduced its emissions by 16%, 13% and 6%, respectively (numbers are excl. LULUCF – Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry). So, although the

agricultural sector has reduced emissions, it contributes to an increasing share of total emissions, and in 2017 agriculture was responsible for 22%, 12%, and 14% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, respectively (excl. LULUCF). (UNFCCC, 2020)

The agricultural sector is a major contributor to eutrophication due to

overfertilisation with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) that leads to nutrient runoff from the fields. A nutrient balance represents the difference between nutrient supply to the fields and the nutrients removed with the harvest. The nitrogen and

phosphorus balances have been generally decreasing in all three countries but have seen an increase in recent years. The only exception is the P balance in Sweden where there has been no surplus since 2011.

Overfertilisation is generally a problem in livestock intensive areas in all three countries, because it is costly to transport manure, and therefore it is mainly distributed on fields close to the livestock holdings. In Sweden and Finland, these emissions occur in the southern regions, where the intensive livestock holdings are mainly located. In Denmark, intensive farming is dominant in the entire country, however, livestock holdings are mainly located in the western regions while eastern regions are dominated by arable production. These regional differences result in large regional variations in nutrient emissions, which is inherently a regional environmental problem, whereas local greenhouse gas emissions contribute to the global climate crisis.

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4. Examples of more sustainable

food production in the Nordics

An important aspect of this study is to present examples of businesses that are venturing into plant-based production and more sustainable farming of livestock. In the following, eight very different examples are presented – four from Denmark and four from Sweden. Detailed presentations of each case are available online at https://rgo.dk/projekt-nordisk-mad-i-forandring-casestudier/

These case studies are examples of new more sustainable practices for food production. They are also a source of knowledge on the potential and the barriers these farmers and other food producers have encountered along the way. As such, they may inspire readers of this report in their support to the transition toward more sustainable food production and consumption.

These specific case studies were chosen, because they represent a broad spectrum of what can be considered sustainable food production. During the project, a list of categories for sustainable food production was developed. This list included plant-based agricultural production and processing of crops for direct human

consumption, diversification, fermentation, insects, solein, marine proteins, cultured meat, and changes in livestock production including changes in feed and

extensification.

Because this project has a specific focus on the economic potentials for farmers related to a transition towards more sustainable food production, this list of topics was narrowed down to cases related to primary agricultural production, ready or near-ready technologies, and cases with large existing volume potentials and thereby large potentials to reduce the environmental footprint of food production.

Role in transition of Nordic food

production Role in value chain Case details

Fagraslätt Plant-based proteins for food Crop cultivation Legumes, Diversification

Jannelunds Farm Plant-based proteins for food Crop cultivation Legumes, Retail collaboration

Axfoundation and Torsåker

Farm Plant-based proteins for food

Crop

cultivation Processing Legumes, Retail collaboration

Organic Plant Protein Plant-based proteins for food Processing Legumes, Extrusion

Naturli’ Plant-based proteins for food Processing Convenience, Product development

Sjöholms Farm Changes in livestock farming Livestock production Extensification, Diversification

Hvanstrup Changes in livestock farming Livestock production Extensification, Grass as feed

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4.1 Fagraslätt

Many kinds of legumes and quinoa direct to consumers

Role in transition of Nordic food production

Role in value chain Case details

Plant-based proteins for food Crop cultivation Legumes, Diversification

Brothers Per Modig and Niklas Svensson run Fagraslätt together. They have been experimenting with growing legumes since 2009. Per Modig kindly contributed information to the production of this case description which was written by Ylva Andersson and abbreviated and translated to English for this report by Green Transition Denmark.

Production

The farm Fagraslätt in north-eastern Scania is run by two brothers cultivating vegetables, legumes, quinoa, and grain on the farm’s 160 hectares. Legumes are primarily kidney beans, black and white beans, and soldier beans, but also various peas, lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans. The dried legumes are cleaned and packed on the farm and sold directly to consumers and to stores, restaurants, and’Nordisk Råvara’, a Swedish company buying and selling Swedish produced legumes and quinoa.

The vegetables ensure the major part of revenues, but also cause a large part of the work. The farm has two fulltime staff and several seasonal workers for weed control 1.5–2 months a year. The aim is that legumes will ensure a turnover of around SEK 15,000–30,000 (1,500–3,000 EUR) per hectare from cultivation and approximately the same from cleaning and packing. This is less than the vegetables that stand for SEK 50,000–150,000 (5,000–15,000 EUR) per hectare, but more than grain and rape; overall, the sale of legumes accounts for one fifth of turnover despite only

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covering 15% of the land.

Positive change

At Fagraslätt they started growing beans in 2009, and the same year they started the conversion to organic farming. In 2010 they started growing carrots, onions, potatoes, red beets, and sugar beets. Now they grow as many legumes as possible. To avoid diseases a field can only hold legumes every six or seven years, and therefore it is only possible to cultivate beans on around 15% of the land at a time. In the past, brown beans were an everyday guest on the Swedish dinner tables, and Per and Niklas’ father actually grew brown beans between 1985 and 1995. Since then, demand has been low since the traditional use of the beans vanished before the vegetarian movement gained ground. But for the last three to five years demand has been on the increase.

Barriers

The interruption of the tradition of cultivating beans is part of the reason why they are not cultivated so much today. This means, among others, that good varieties of legumes and the knowledge of cultivation techniques for legumes are in demand in Sweden today. For example, there is a need for knowledge of cultivation techniques for lentils. Lentils do not compete well with weed, so they are cultivated together with oat; to do so you need to know which ratio between the two crops works best. You also need to know what technique is better to clean and separate the lentils from the oat.

This leads us to another barrier: cultivation, cleaning, and packing require special machinery. Such special machinery for cleaning and packing often entails too high a cost for a single producer. On the other hand, it represents an added value, so cleaning and packing the many products in small units yourself instead of selling the harvest on to a middleman contributes to making the farm more financially

sustainable. At Fagraslätt they produce relatively small quantities of many varieties, so the production is not well fitted for a large facility. Therefore, Per has invested in machines for cleaning, and they now also carry out cleaning of products from other producers.

The production price of the beans constitutes another barrier. The price of Per’s beans is at SEK 60–100 (EUR 6–10) per kilogram for 10-kilogram units, and the price is even higher for units of 1 kilogram. Unfortunately, the price is somewhat higher than the price of imported beans in the stores, and it is not possible to compete with the world market price. This means that a large agricultural cooperative such as Lantmännen does not find that it is sufficiently financially sustainable. Therefore, Lantmännen no longer purchases Swedish produced beans.

Potentials

The largest potential to increase Swedish production of vegetable proteins for human consumption is to grow more peas and faba beans. Cultivation already takes place in large parts of Sweden, leading to knowledge about how to cultivate and to a larger supply of varieties. For instance, kidney beans in Sweden can only be grown in Scania, on Öland, Gotland, and in Southeast Sweden; even here they give an uncertain yield since they require a long, frost-free growth season, heat, light soils, and preferably a dry autumn. All the same, Per believes that the area for cultivation

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of green beans in Sweden can be tripled.

To increase cultivation, however, there is a need for political decisions on investments in testing of new varieties and other testing activities relating to these crops. There is a potential for a larger market; for instance, the food industry can use Swedish grown peas instead of imported chickpeas in semi-products. This potential remains to be realised. To mention an example – it is easy to procure imported legumes such as chickpeas, but if you want to buy Swedish produced peas you must find a specialist supplier.

Read more athttps://rgo.dk/projekt-nordisk-mad-i-forandring-casestudier/ fagraslatt/

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4.2 Jannelund Farm, Slätte Farm and Coop

Swedish pea nuggets for retailers all over Sweden

Plant-based proteins for food Crop cultivation Legumes, Retail collaboration

Adam Arnesson moved back home to run Jannelund Farm with his father in 2015. Susanne Krohn works as a product specialist at Coop. Both have kindly contributed information to the production of this case description which was written by Ylva Andersson, and has been abbreviated and translated to English for this report by Green Transition Denmark.

Production

Pea nuggets with sweet and sour pickled dill or in a spicy tandoori mix. These are products developed jointly by Coop, two Swedish farms, and the companyFood for progress; they are distributed to Coop’s stores all over Sweden.

The cooperation began when Coop and the owner of the Jannelund Farm made an advertisement for Swedish legumes. Both parties wished to increase the

consumption of Swedish grown peas and beans. They decided that their cooperation was to focus on frozen semi-products, since there are already dried legumes on the market; furthermore, frozen products have a longer shelf-life and cause less wastage than fresh produce. Coop already had a successful cooperation with the companyFood for progress, and developing the new products together with them was an evident choice. In addition,Food for progress is located close to Jannelund

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Farm and Slätte Farm. Slätte Farm was involved in the cooperation to attain a sufficient volume and to spread the risk of crop failure.

Positive change

Jannelund Farm has around 100 hectares, and around half the land is grassland for cutting or grazing. In 2015 they had a sheep production of around 100 ewes, but it didn’t provide a livelihood for the owners. Instead, investments were made in the cultivation of protein crops, a decision based on economic considerations as well as environmental interest. Legumes, however, account for less than 5% of the farm’s turnover.

The around 50 hectares of agricultural land is used for the cultivation of oat for oatmeal, spring rye, spelt and emmer wheat, as well as oat and peas used for animal feed. The peas grown for Coop are cultivated on an area of around 4–5 hectares with a yield of some 3–4 tonnes per hectare. Due to requirements for crop rotation and soil quality it is not possible to expand the area used for peas. At the farm more exotic legumes are also grown: grey peas grown together with spring wheat or oat, a puy lentil variety, and one hectare of sweet lupin that is used as a feed. The owner has tried out other legumes such as black beans, borlotti beans, kidney beans, and soya beans, but the season is too short in this northern region. In addition, you need special machinery for cleaning the crops for human consumption.

To increase the revenues of the farm the owner has invested in a more varied production, own processing, and sale directly to consumers. The grey peas are sold through the Nordisk Råvara, a company that buys and sells Swedish produced legumes and quinoa, where the peas are also cleaned and packed. The lentils are handled on site. The livestock production today is based on the 90 ewes of the farm, 230 lambs, 6 dairy cows, 1 bull, 18 chickens, 2 sows, and 1 wild boar, and new facilities for cutting and meat preparation have been established. Most of the farm’s

products are sold directly to consumers, stores, or restaurants. At the farm there is an on-farm store, and they are planning to open a restaurant here as well.

"For plant-based alternatives to meat products the raw ingredients are relatively tasteless and are then flavoured. The desired end result is proper texture, saltiness, umami and flavour."

Susanne Krohn

Barriers

Unfortunately, pea nuggets have not met the hoped-for interest among consumers. Coop produces a falafel from imported peas; it sells really well – some 165,000 packs of 700 grams a year. In comparison, the sale of the new pea products of 300 grams is still limited with a sale of 33,000 packs with tandoori taste and 18,000 with dill taste.

A very small proportion of the peas and faba beans grown in Sweden are for human consumption. The most evident reason is the lower price of imported legumes and their well-established supply chains. Another barrier is found in the lack of a Swedish

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industry for giving the plant proteins the right texture. Most vegetarian semi-products are produced from soya, but peas and faba beans can be treated in the same way as soya and used for various types of meat substitute products. In some cases – such as the Coop falafel – tests have been made with using Swedish yellow peas instead of soya, but the attempt to find the right taste and texture has not been successful.

Potentials

The cooperation with Coop is different from the rest of the production at Jannelund Farm, since there are more middlemen, and the products are sold all over the

country. Although pea nuggets are an organic and locally produced niche product the target group is much larger than those buying directly at the farm or through the specialist store of Nordisk Råvara.

For the producers, the benefit of this cooperation is that they have a guaranteed outlet for the crops at an agreed price.

Read more athttps://rgo.dk/projekt-nordisk-mad-i-forandring-casestudier/ jannelund-slatte-och-coop/

"The largest opportunity is if the food industry starts using Swedish produced raw ingredients, but at the same time it is important to maintain the value of Swedish produce – that it does not just become bulk production. But it is also about eating habits. Peas and faba beans can easily be consumed as is." Adam Arnesson

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4.3 Axfoundation and Torsåker Farm

Swedish produced plant-based mince for catering kitchens, restaurants, and ready meals

Plant-based proteins for food Crop cultivation

Processing Legumes, Retail collaboration

Axfoundation is a not-for-profit company working concretely for a sustainable society, and one of their key focus areas is “Future Food”. To this end Axfoundation runs a test farm including a restaurant kitchen, Torsåker Farm, where new foods are developed and tested from farm to fork. Anne Henning Moberg is a project developer at Torsåker Farm and has kindly contributed information to the production of this case description, which was written by Ida Ekqvist and abbreviated and translated to English for this report by Green Transition Denmark.

Production

Axfoundation is a not-for-profit company working concretely for a sustainable society. The company has a staff of eleven and a broad network of collaborators. Axfoundation runs a test farm, Torsåker Farm, located 30 kilometres north of Stockholm. The farm has woodlands, grazing lands, 130 hectares of agricultural land, and a restaurant kitchen for preparation of trial crops and development of new food products and meals.

A mince of the Swedish legumes sweet lupin, grey peas, and faba beans is one of the innovative results of the work at the test farm. Sweet lupin has a nutrient value and a composition of amino acids similar to soya. The grey pea is interesting in terms of nutrition and gastronomy and has been grown in Sweden from historic times. Faba beans have been grown in Sweden as a feed crop. The mince is produced by soaking

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the legumes, heat-treating them, and mincing them into a mass that is mixed with a residue from cold-pressed rapeseed oil production. The three legumes complement each other in the mince both in terms of taste and texture.

Positive change

Axfoundation prefers raising the bottom level on the market for the many rather than developing luxury products for a niche of particularly aware consumers. To do so, you need to offer a good product at an affordable price. The legume mince currently costs the same as imported minced meat and is cheaper than Swedish produced minced meat; in addition, it swells a little when cooked by contrast to minced meat that shrinks. This means that users such as school canteens can buy climate-friendly and at the same time lower their costs by substituting minced meat with legume mince.

The legume mince is used in several places for the substitution of meat. Together with a collaborator Axfoundation has developed a vegan burger based on the legume mince mixed with surplus shiitake mushroom stems. A deli chain store successfully substituted the minced meat in their ready meals with the legume mince, and products with legume mince in lasagne, Bolognese, and taco mince are sold in one of the leading retail chains in Sweden. The product feed-back is really good.

Barriers

The natural bitter plant taste of the mince is a challenge when it comes to reaching a broad consumer group and not least meat eaters; the mince must be cooked carefully to get the optimal taste experience. Therefore, selling it directly to consumers calls for more product development. At present, Axfoundation has overcome this barrier by selling the mince in ready meals and for professional catering kitchens holding the necessary knowledge about cooking.

There is a general, structural barrier for the expanded use of plant proteins in Sweden since the Swedish processing industry cannot extract proteins from legumes. This is one of the reasons why Swedish farmers find it difficult to sell legumes to the food industry, and the lack of guaranteed outlets is one of the largest barriers to Swedish farmers wishing to grow legumes. The production of

Axfoundation’s legume mince, however, does not need sophisticated processing such as extrusion and is therefore not facing this barrier.

Finally, Axfoundation has found a way to use legumes that does not need fine-sorting of the legumes or a very uniform quality. Sorting and quality of the legumes is a typical barrier since this link in the production chain is not established in Sweden.

"Imagine we could substitute half of all minced meat in ready-made meat balls. That would significantly reduce the climate impact and increase the demand for Swedish produced legumes. We want to raise the bottom level on the market rather than developing luxury products for a niche of particularly aware consumers."

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Potentials

The idea of the mince came from the desire to switch from animal to vegetable proteins in Sweden. Most agricultural land today is used for growing feed for livestock production. If crops for human consumption are grown instead, you need far less hectares of agricultural land for producing the same amount of food. The ambition at Torsåker Farm is to substitute imported meat with plant-based products based on raw materials grown in Sweden. In Sweden part of the beef consumed comes from grazing animals used for nature conservancy, but it does not cover the present consumption of meat.

There is also a potential from substituting the around 250,000 tonnes of soya imported into Sweden today with Swedish produced legumes. At Torsåker Farm the highest yield in sweet lupin in the field tests was at almost 4 tonnes of beans per hectare; with a protein content of 36% this is a protein crop with a very large potential. Finally, from sweet lupin you can also harvest the green hulls that are so delicious as ‘sugar snaps’ that restaurants have been eager to buy them as a local alternative to sugar snaps imported from Africa.

The project at Torsåker Farm is an example of what it takes from farm to fork to develop a local alternative to meet the growing demand for plant-based protein-rich food products that are only rarely produced locally today.

Read more athttps://rgo.dk/projekt-nordisk-mad-i-forandring-casestudier/ axfoundation/

The necessary seeds Sweet lupin and grey pea seeds were no longer grown in Sweden. Instead, the lupin

seeds were recovered through German contacts and grey pea seeds were found at Latvia’s university of agriculture. In the Baltic countries legumes for human consumption have continued to be grown to a much larger extent than in Sweden.

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4.4 Organic Plant Protein

Organic production in focus

Plant-based proteins for food Processing Legumes, Extrusion

Organic Plant Protein was founded in 2019 by Ulrich Kern-Hansen and Fie Graugaard after they had sold the majority of their shares in their previous company. The couple are well-known for their engagement in the development of organic production and especially organic pig farming in Denmark over the past decades. Organic Plant Protein is the first company in the world that produces texturized plant-based proteins which are also organic. Ulrich Kern-Hansen kindly contributed information to the production of this case description.

Production

Organic Plant Protein is a newly started Danish company in eastern Jutland. The company produces organic texturised plant proteins of pea and faba bean that are used as a substitute for minced meat and chicken pieces, among others. The

texturising process gives a ‘bite’ to the plant proteins similar to meat and that is not obtained by adding, for instance, chickpeas or beans directly to a stew.

The idea of producing texturised plant proteins came after a decision in the owners’ previous company, Hanegal, to have 85% of the products plant-based by 2030. Hanegal’s products are organic and without additives, and it was not possible to buy organic texturised plant proteins for Hanegal’s plant-based products. Therefore, the company started cooperating with two researchers that are now engaged in Organic Plant Protein.

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is kneaded thoroughly while the temperature increases from 20 to 140 degrees for the 15 seconds it takes for the dough to pass through the machine. The texturised protein product now contains only 8–9% of water so there is no need for drying. The product is completely clean and is packed directly and sold without the use of additives. The shelf life of the product is set at two years. Organic Plant Protein has five varieties of their product today: two types of granulates and three types of chunks with varying form and structure.

Organic Plant Protein does not add concentrated protein; this is an ordinary practice elsewhere, but such concentrated protein is produced in an energy-intensive chemical process. Still, texturising can be done almost exclusively using standard components. Only one special developed component and the setting of the machine distinguishes the production from similar processes elsewhere. The small, yet decisive difference enables Organic Plant Protein to produce an organic texturised plant protein without using concentrated protein or other additives.

Positive change

From the outset the company has met keen interest and had many relevant calls from potential customers. Around half the potential buyers are specifically interested in the product being organic, while the other half just recognise the quality and texture of the product. For example, German dealers have contacted the company; in Germany people are used to this kind of product in the supermarkets. They are also used to cooking them, so the Danish product will be regarded as an organic alternative. In Denmark, consumers are less experienced in cooking with dried texturised plant proteins.

Fully extended, Organic Plant Protein’s production will need 2,400 tonnes of peas and 600 tonnes of horse beans a year. With a modest yield of 3 tonnes per hectare, where the protein meal takes up 20% of the crop, this will correspond to some 5,000 hectares of organic farmland.

The company sees a potential in experimenting with the nutrient contents by adding other protein crops and testing whether the texturising process still works. In a state-supported research project peas and faba beans will be combined with quinoa and hemp to attain a better composition of amino acids with regard to human needs.

With the establishment of Organic Plant Protein, the plant-based food industry has a strong organic player. It is to be hoped that this is the kick-off of a far larger dispersion of ecology in plant-based meat substitutes, higher interest in cultivating protein crops for human consumption, and far larger dispersion of plant-based consumption.

"This is an amazing opportunity to reduce meat consumption – and it’s both economically and agriculturally viable. Using peas and faba beans results in a cheaper protein which also has a lower climate impact. I view it as the solution to feeding a growing population."

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Barriers

There is a need for enhancing the development of varieties and production of peas and faba beans for consumption in Denmark. Organic Plant Protein uses a protein meal mixture with 20% of faba bean and 80% of pea; the ambition is to exclusively use Danish raw materials, but this is not possible today, as crops grown in Denmark are insufficient. However, new agreements are being discussed.

For a farmer to find it attractive to grow legumes for Organic Plant Protein, he must see the economic benefit of it. By adding up realistic yields, variations from one year to the next, risks, and requirements for protein content, drying, purity etc. the resulting price must give a profit for the farmer. This price must then be increased a bit as a means of motivation, thus ensuring that it is profitable for the farmer to grow the legumes.

In addition, there is today a lack of critical infrastructure in the form of a protein mill in Denmark. In the present situation, Danish peas and faba beans are transported to Norway to mill them at the mills of collaborator Vestkorn before transporting them back to the factory in Denmark. Vestkorn separates protein from starch in a dry air separation process, so the protein content increases from around 22% to 55%; a similar mill has yet to be established in Denmark.

Potentials

Today, the factory can process 370 kilograms of meal an hour; the result is around the same amount of texturised protein, but it is possible to upscale to 1,200–1,300 kilograms of texturised protein an hour. This corresponds to 50% of the Danish population having a weekly plant-based meal cooked with texturised plant protein. The company has today a staff of around ten, but at full production capacity they hope to have some 25–30 employees.

The company sells to the food industry and the retail trade. A bag of 125 grams – this is around 500 grams after soaking – costs around DKK 25 (EUR 3.36); it is thereby competitive with or cheaper than meat. The plant protein also has benefits compared with meat when it comes to hygiene and shelf life. For example, the consumer can taste the raw plant-based mince, and you can stock up some extra bags for unexpected guests. However, Organic Plant Protein see themselves

primarily as an ingredients business. They expect the major part of sales to be made to food businesses and primarily to foreign companies; as mentioned, they have already had talks with several major players.

Read more at https://rgo.dk/projekt-nordisk-mad-i-forandring-casestudier/organic-plant-protein/

"Producing organically ensures that agricultural activities do not contaminate the ground water resources, severely damage biodiversity, or degrade the soil through the use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and monotonous crop rotations."

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4.5 Naturli’

Plant-based alternatives to dairy and meat products

Plant-based proteins for food Processing Convenience, Product development

Naturli’ Foods has existed since 1988. Until the company was purchased by the Dragsbæk Group in 2010 it only produced plant-based beverages. Today Naturli’ produces plant-based products within dairy, meat substitutes, cold cuts, snacks, and everything in between. CEO of the company is Henrik Lund who kindly contributed information to this case

description.

”Be the change” is the motto of Naturli’ Foods who disrupted the Danish food industry with the first plant-based meat substitute that popped up in the refrigerated counter next to minced beef in 2018.

Production

The Naturli’ office in the city of Vejen in the south-western part of Denmark is the daily workplace of a staff of nine headed by CEO Henrik Lund. Here, the ideas for new products are born, and they are busy selling, developing, and interacting with consumers on social media. Their production takes place in Denmark at the factories of the food business Dragsbæk, and Naturli’s production employs some 200 people. Until 2010, the production of Naturli’ consisted of plant-based beverages, but soon the range was expanded – pushed by their customers. Today, Naturli’ produces plant-based products within dairy, meat substitutes, cold cuts, snacks, and

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everything in between. This is unique in an industry where most companies have specialised in one specific type of plant-based products.

The bestselling products of Naturli’ are their plant-based beverages, Naturli’

Spreadable, and the plant-based Minced. Naturli’ Spreadable is a plant-based butter substitute that the company developed at the express wish of their followers on social media. This is a good example of Naturli’s close cooperation with their customers that are involved almost as a second R&D division.

Naturli’ Minced is a plant-based mince that is sold refrigerated in trays just like we know it from minced beef, and it can be cooked in the same way. The taste is neutral, so you can spice it according to your desires. To use peas, for instance, for a plant-based mince they must go through a process where the pea protein powder is given a texture that is similar to the one we know from meat. Naturli’ has developed and patented the method used, but their partners at Nakskov Mills are in charge of the process of texturising the proteins. The pea protein powder has a high protein content of 65–68% giving a good bite that is difficult to attain at lower protein contents.

Positive change

The consumption of plant-based products is growing steadily in Denmark as well as globally. Plant-based beverages and plant-based mince now account for 4–5% of the Danish market for milk and minced beef, respectively, and especially plant-based mince sees an explosive growth. Naturli’ has grown by some 30–35% a year for the past five years. The company exports to 20 markets but is still a home-market based company. All products are first launched in Denmark, where Naturli’ has a market share of some 77%.

Naturli’ calculates the carbon footprint of their products to support the

communication to consumers about climate-friendliness. Naturli’ seeks to reduce their climate impact and has most focus on ingredients and packing, parameters the company controls itself. In addition, Naturli’ procures its raw materials as close to the market as possible. For instance, the Naturli’ plant-based beverages are produced from oat, soya, rice, almonds, or peas grown in Europe. The demand for oat drink has exploded the last 3–4 years and has taken over the rating of soya drink as the most sold drink among Naturli’s plant-based beverages. Naturli’ is trying to make Danish farmers cultivate the oat variety of Poseidon that is particularly suitable for oat drink but is grown very little in Denmark.

Barriers

To make plant-based mince stick together, you must add the wood-based methyl cellulose fibre that is only available in a conventional variety. Therefore, the Naturli’ plant-based mince is not an organic product. To Naturli’, organic production is the very DNA of the company, and all Naturli’s products used to be organic until the launch of the plant-based mince – so ingredients that are not available in an organic variety constitute a barrier. The CEO hopes for more focus on plant-based food within research and development. Technological progress may also increase the quality of plant products and, for instance, remove tannins that taste bitter.

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"We have to be first movers. This creates value for the world around us and our business, and that way we can afford to continue innovation. We try to be at the forefront and create the food revolution."

Henrik Lund

Potentials

To Naturli’, food transition comes in several stages. First stage is about having more ordinary consumers choose more plant-based meals and raw ingredients. This can be achieved by offering a plant-based product that can substitute animal products such as minced meat, chicken pieces, and cow milk. In the second stage the

consumer is prepared to eat plant-based food, and then you can market plant-based proteins and food without imitation animal products.

Many of Naturli’s products are directed at consumers that had not planned a plant-based meal but actually choose it at the store. Therefore, it was a game changer in the Danish retail trade when Naturli’ got its place in the refrigerated counter next to beef and pork. The ordinary consumer does not look for a special corner of the store to find plant-based products. He or she looks for the classic categories such as fruit/ vegetables, meat, and dairy, and therefore it is a key issue for Naturli’ to have their products placed among these categories to make plant-based mainstream.

It is an advantage on a market in rapid change when new products can be launched rapidly. This is possible through the Naturli’ partnership with Dragsbæk that has a large production capacity. Dragsbæk can set up a production line for testing a new product; this would not have been possible, if a small company like Naturli’

undertook production itself.

Cooperation is decisive, and Naturli’ has joined the new industry organisation Plantebranchen(Danish Plant Industry) for companies producing plant-based food. The idea is that Plantebranchen can contribute, among others, with guidance for start-ups and be a common voice towards politicians and other industries, so each individual company is not alone in facing challenges.

Read more athttps://rgo.dk/projekt-nordisk-mad-i-forandring-casestudier/naturli/

"We never imagined that we would be a business with a large export. It came over-night after Denmark went crazy over the launch of Naturli’ Minced in December 2017. Today we’re on 20 different markets."

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4.6 Sjöholm Farm

From intensive bull breeding to grazing heifers

Changes in livestock farming Livestock production Extensification, Diversification

Sjöholm Farm is owned by Håkan Persson. Since Per Fredriksson began working at the farm in 2018 the two have collaborated to transform the production towards

sustainability. Sjöholm is one of several farms that are part of the EU-financed project UNISECO. Within the scope of this project the environmental, social, and economic

consequences of the transition from intensive to extensive livestock production at Sjöholm Farm is investigated. Kajsa Resare Sahlin is a PhD student and researcher on the UNISECO project. She is the author of this case description, which has been abbreviated and translated to English for this report by Green Transition Denmark, with inputs from the author.

Production

Sjöholm Farm has some 500 hectares of arable land and 200 hectares of grazing meadows. Until 2017 the farm was run conventionally with intensive breeding of beef cattle, but started the transition towards organic farming in 2018. With the vision to create a production that is sustainable both in economic and environmental terms, Sjöholm aims to primarily exploit the resources found at the farm, build a closer cooperation with the buyers of the farm products, and phase out the intensive beef production. Today, the livestock herd consists of 350 heifers and a small herd of suckler cows fed with roughage produced on the farm. All crops will be organic by 2021 and the beef is certified to be pasture fed from biodiversity rich grazing lands. Since the transition, the production of beef has gone down from 200 to 40 tonnes.

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The beef is still mainly sold to a large slaughterhouse, but the farm is trying out a direct-to-customer sale of a meat box.

Positive change

At Sjöholm Farm the conversion to organic farming has a positive impact on biodiversity and water and soil quality. Animal welfare has also improved in the conversion from intensive indoor husbandry to animals grazing half of the year. Production volumes have decreased substantially – from 1,200 purchased young bulls fed with purchased concentrate feed to 350 beef cattle grazing on natural pastures not suitable for cultivation. This has reduced the total emissions of greenhouse gases by 70%. Beef, however, still has a very high climate impact compared with other meats and, especially, vegetable proteins. So, to fully realise then gains from on-farm transition, meat consumption must also be reduced. At Sjöholm Farm they have taken the first steps towards changed consumer behaviour through the sale of meat boxes directly to consumers. This gives them the

opportunity to communicate directly with consumers about reductions in meat consumption and selecting meat that is produced with the highest possible respect of nature conservancy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycle.

The conversion has had a negative impact on the production’s contribution to the local economy, since there are fewer employees and fewer local purchases of, for instance, feedstuffs. First results show that both costs and revenues have decreased, and in general, lower costs (and not increased revenues) explain why organic farms in Sweden often give a better profit than conventional ones.

Barriers

The new system at Sjöholm Farm produces less protein per hectare land than the old one, partially because they could not sell crops for human consumption while

awaiting organic certification. To increase the food supply from the farm, they need to further diversify production. This applies in particular to include protein crops, but also vegetables and fruit. But it takes a lot to go from being a meat producer to produce, for instance, meat, milk and grain, vegetables, and fruit; for the farmer, but also throughout the value-chain.

In Sweden there are strong traditions for milk and meat production. You areeither a milk farmer or a meat producer. At Sjöholm Farm they have succeeded in converting their operation, but many farmers wishing to have a more diversified agricultural operation feel alone and need a network for cooperation and discussions.

Potentials

At Sjöholm Farm they have taken important steps towards more sustainable agriculture with more extensive husbandry. Integration of crop and livestock

production has great potential to improve the sustainability of European agriculture, but to obtain the benefits, production must be well planned. One example is limiting livestock to natural grazing lands and closing nutrient cycles.

Also, diversification – generating an income from both animals and crops and “not putting all of your eggs in one basket” – can increase the economic resilience of a farm.

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between farmers and across the value chain – is needed. In addition, networking and sharing of knowledge is needed to transform today’s food system to tackle pressing sustainability issues.

Read more athttps://rgo.dk/projekt-nordisk-mad-i-forandring-casestudier/ sjoholms-gaard/

The barriers that have been identified in the case studies of the UNISECO project can be summarised in a simplified way in these two aphorisms:

“I can grow the crops, but who will buy?”

Nordic Food Transition : Low emission opportunities in agriculture

Project participants

Contents

1. Introduction

1.1 Project overview

1.2 Project methods

2. Food systems and

sustainability

2.1 The food system

2.2 Sustainability of food production and consumption

2.3 Animal-based food

2.4 Plant-based food

3. Food systems in Denmark,

Sweden and Finland

3.1 Demography and agricultural structure and land use

3.2 Agricultural production

3.3 Economy and employment in agriculture

3.4 Food consumption

3.5 Environmental sustainability

4. Examples of more sustainable

food production in the Nordics

4.1 Fagraslätt

4.2 Jannelund Farm, Slätte Farm and Coop

4.3 Axfoundation and Torsåker Farm

4.4 Organic Plant Protein

4.5 Naturli’

4.6 Sjöholm Farm